Cobalt-catalyzed process for preparing alkanediols using a rhodium promoter

ABSTRACT

An alkanediol such as 1,3-propanediol is prepared in a process which involves reacting an alkylene oxide with carbon monoxide and hydrogen in an essentially non-water-miscible solvent in the presence of a non-phosphine-ligated cobalt catalyst and a rhodium promoter to produce an intermediate product mixture containing a hydroxyalkanal in an amount less than 15 wt %; extracting the hydroxyalkanal from the intermediate product mixture into an aqueous liquid at a temperature less than about 100° C. and separating the aqueous phase containing hydroxyalkanal from the organic phase containing cobalt catalyst; hydrogenating the hydroxyalkanal in the aqueous phase to an alkanediol; and recovering the alkanediol. 
     The process enables the production of an alkanediol such as 1,3-propanediol in high yields and selectivity without the use of a phosphine ligand-modified cobalt catalyst.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 316,676, filed Sep. 30, 1994, abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to the preparation of alkanediols including 1,3-propanediol. In a specific aspect, the invention relates to a cobalt-catalyzed process for manufacturing 1,3-propanediol in high yields without the use of a phosphine ligand for the cobalt catalyst.

1,3-propanediol (PDO) is an intermediate in the production of polyesters for fibers and films. It is known to prepare PDO in a two-step process involving (1) the cobalt-catalyzed hydroformylation (reaction with synthesis gas, H₂ /CO) of ethylene oxide to intermediate 3-hydroxypropanal (HPA) and (2) hydrogenation of the HPA to PDO. The initial hydroformylation step can be carried out at temperatures greater than 100° C. and at high syngas pressures to achieve practical reaction rates. The resulting product mixture is, however, rather unselective for HPA.

In an alternate hydroformylation method, the cobalt catalyst is used in combination with a phosphine ligand to prepare HPA with greater selectivity and at lower temperature and pressure. However, the use of a phosphine ligand adds to the cost of the catalyst and increases the complexity of catalyst recycle.

It would be desirable to prepare PDO and other alkanediols in a low temperature, selective process which permitted efficient recycle of the catalyst.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a process for the preparation of alkanediols. In a specific embodiment, it is an object of the invention to provide an economical process for the preparation of 1,3-propanediol which does not require the use of a phosphine-ligated catalyst for preparation of the HPA intermediate.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention, an alkanediol is prepared in a process comprising the steps of:

(a) contacting an alkylene oxide with carbon monoxide and hydrogen in an essentially non-water-miscible solvent in the presence of an effective amount of a non-phosphine-ligated cobalt catalyst and an effective amount of a rhodium promoter at a temperature within the range of about 50° to about 100° C. and a pressure within the range of about 500 to about 5000 psig, under reaction conditions effective to produce an intermediate product mixture comprising less than 15 wt % hydroxyaldehyde;

(b) adding an aqueous liquid to said intermediate product mixture and extracting into said aqueous liquid at a temperature less than about 100° C. a major portion of the hydroxyaldehyde to provide an aqueous phase comprising hydroxyaldehyde in greater concentration than the concentration of hydroxyaldehyde in said intermediate product mixture, and an organic phase comprising at least a portion of the cobalt catalyst or a cobalt-containing derivative thereof and at least a portion of the rhodium promoter or a rhodium-containing derivative thereof;

(c) separating the aqueous phase from the organic phase;

(d) contacting the aqueous phase comprising hydroxyaldehyde with hydrogen in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst at a pressure of at least about 100 psig and a temperature during at least a portion of the hydrogenation step of at least 40° C. to provide a hydrogenation product mixture comprising an alkanediol; and

(e) recovering the alkanediol from said hydrogenation product mixture.

The process enables the production of alkanediols such as 1,3-propanediol in high yields and selectivity without the use of a phosphine-ligated cobalt catalyst in the hydroformylation step.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a schematic flow diagram of one embodiment of the invention alkanediol preparation process.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the invention process, an alkylene oxide is reacted with carbon monoxide and hydrogen to produce an intermediate hydroxyaldehyde, which is then hydrogenated to the desired alkanediol. Suitable alkylene oxide starting materials can be described by the formula RCHOCH₂, in which R is hydrogen (ethylene oxide) or C₁₋₃ alkyl (propylene oxide, butylene oxide, pentylene oxide). The intermediate hydroxyaldehyde can be represented by the formula ##STR1## in which R' is hydrogen or C₁₋₃ alkyl including, for example, hydroxyaldehydes such as 3-hydroxypropanal, 3-hydroxybutanal, 3-hydroxypentanal, and 3-hydroxyhexanal.

Correspondingly, the alkanediol can be represented by the formula ##STR2## where R' is as described above. Such alkanediols include 1,3-propanediol, 1,3-butanediol, 1,3-pentanediol and 1,3-hexanediol. For simplicity, the process will be described, by reference to FIG. 1, in terms of starting with ethylene oxide to produce 1,3-propanediol.

In FIG. 1, separate or combined streams of ethylene oxide 1, carbon monoxide and hydrogen 2 are charged to hydroformylation vessel 3, which can be a pressure reaction vessel such as a bubble column or agitated tank, operated batchwise or in a continuous manner. The feed streams are contacted in the presence of a non-phosphine-ligated cobalt catalyst, i.e., a cobalt carbonyl composition which has not been prereacted with a phosphine ligand, and rhodium promoter. The hydrogen and carbon monoxide will generally be introduced into the reaction vessel in a molar ratio within the range of about 1:2 to about 8:1, preferably about 1.5:1 to about 5:1.

The reaction is carried out under conditions effective to produce a hydroformylation reaction product mixture containing a major portion of 3-hydroxypropanal (HPA) and a minor portion of acetaldehyde and diol, while maintaining the level of 3-hydroxypropanal in the reaction mixture at less than 15 wt %, preferably within the range of about 5 to about 10 wt %. (To provide for solvents having different densities, the desired concentration of HPA in the reaction mixture can be expressed in molarity, i.e., less than 1.5M, preferably within the range of about 0.5 to about 1M.) Generally, the hydroformylation reaction is carried out at elevated temperature less than 100° C., preferably about 65° to about 80° C. and at a pressure within the range of about 500 to about 5000 psig, preferably (for process economics) about 1000 to about 3500 psig, with higher pressures preferred for greater selectivity. The concentration of 3-hydroxypropanal in the intermediate product mixture can be controlled by regulation of process conditions such as ethylene oxide concentration, catalyst concentration, reaction temperature and residence time. In the practice of the invention method, it is possible to achieve HPA yields (based on ethylene oxide conversion) of greater than 70%, with formation of greater than 7 wt % HPA, at rates greater than 30 h⁻¹. (Catalytic rates are referred to herein in terms of "turnover frequency" or "TOF" and are expressed in units of moles per mole of metal per hour, or h⁻¹.)

The hydroformylation reaction is carried out in a liquid solvent inert to the reactants. By "inert" is meant that the solvent is not consumed during the course of the reaction. In general, ideal solvents for the phosphine ligand-free process will solubilize carbon monoxide, will be essentially non-water-miscible and will exhibit low to moderate polarity such that the 3-hydroxypropanal intermediate will be solubilized to the desired concentration of at least about 5 wt % under hydroformylation conditions, while significant solvent will remain as a separate phase upon water extraction. By "essentially non-water-miscible" is meant that the solvent has a solubility in water at 25° C. of less than 25 wt %, so as to form a separate hydrocarbon-rich phase upon water extraction of HPA from the hydroformylation reaction mixture. Preferably this solubility is less than about 10%, most preferably less than about 5 wt %. The solubilization of carbon monoxide in the selected solvent will generally be greater than 0.15 v/v (1 atm, 25° C.), preferably greater than 0.25 v/v, as expressed in terms of Ostwald coefficients.

The preferred class of solvents are alcohols and ethers which can be described according to the formula

    R.sub.2 --O--R.sub.1                                       (1)

in which R₁ is hydrogen or C₁₋₂₀ linear, branched, cyclic or aromatic hydrocarbyl or mono- or polyalkylene oxide and R₂ is C₁₋₂₀ linear, branched, cyclic or aromatic hydrocarbyl, alkoxy or mono- or polyalkylene oxide. The most preferred hydroformylation solvents can be described by the formula ##STR3## in which R₁ is hydrogen or C₁₋₈ hydrocarbyl and R₃, R₄ and R₅ are independently selected from C₁₋₈ hydrocarbyl, alkoxy and alkylene oxide. Such ethers include, for example, methyl-t-butyl ether, ethyl-t-butyl ether, diethyl ether, phenylisobutyl ether, ethoxyethyl ether, diphenyl ether and diisopropyl ether. Blends of solvents such as tetrahydrofuran/toluene, tetrahydrofuran/heptane and t-butylalcohol/hexane can also be used to achieve the desired solvent properties. The currently preferred solvent, because of the high yields of HPA which can be achieved under moderate reaction conditions, is methyl-t-butyl ether.

The catalyst is a non-phosphine-ligated cobalt carbonyl compound. Although phosphine-ligated catalysts are active for hydroformylation reactions, the invention process is designed to achieve good yield and selectivity without the additional expense of the ligand. The cobalt catalyst can be supplied to the hydroformylation reactor in essentially any form including metal, supported metal, hydroxide, oxide, carbonate, sulfate, acetylacetonate, salt of a carboxylic acid, or as an aqueous cobalt salt solution, for example. It may be supplied directly as a cobalt carbonyl such as dicobaltoctacarbonyl or cobalt hydridocarbonyl, or operating conditions can be adjusted such that cobalt carbonyls are formed in situ via reaction with H₂ and CO, as described in J. Falbe, "Carbon Monoxide in Organic Synthesis," Springer-Verlag, N.Y. (1970). In general, catalyst formation conditions will include a temperature of at least 50° C. and a carbon monoxide partial pressure of at least about 100 psig. For more rapid reaction, temperatures of about 120° to 200° C. should be employed, at CO pressures of at least 500 psig. Addition of high surface area activated carbons or zeolites, especially those containing or supporting platinum or palladium metal, can accelerate cobalt carbonyl formation from noncarbonyl precursors. The resulting catalyst is maintained under a stabilizing atmosphere of carbon monoxide, which also provides protection against exposure to oxygen. The most economical and preferred catalyst activation and reactivation (of recycled catalyst) method involves preforming the cobalt carbonyl under H₂ /CO from cobalt hydroxide in the presence of a small amount of seed cobalt carbonyl. The conversion of Co²⁺ to the desired cobalt carbonyl is carried out at a temperature within the range of about 75° to about 200° C., preferably about 100° to about 140° C. and a pressure within the range of about 1000 to about 5000 psig for a time preferably less than about 3 hours. The preforming step can be carried out in a pressurized preforming reactor or in situ in the hydroformylation reactor.

The hydroformylation reaction mixture will preferably include a rhodium catalyst promoter to accelerate the reaction rate. The rhodium in the promoter will generally be present in an amount within the range of about 0.001 to about 0.5 mole per mole of cobalt metal, preferably about 0.008 to about 0.1 mole. Larger amounts of rhodium can be used but are not necessary for promotional effect.

It is generally preferred to regulate the concentration of water in the hydroformylation reaction mixture, as excessive amounts of water reduce (HPA+PDO) selectivity below acceptable levels and may induce formation of a second liquid phase. At low concentrations, water can assist in promoting the formation of the desired cobalt carbonyl catalyst species. Acceptable water levels will depend upon the solvent used, with more polar solvents generally being more tolerant of higher water concentrations. For example, optimum water levels for hydroformylation in methyl-t-butyl ether solvent are believed to be within the range of about 1 to about 2.5 wt %.

Following the hydroformylation reaction, hydroformylation reaction product mixture 4 containing 3-hydroxypropanal, the reaction solvent, 1,3-propanediol, the cobalt catalyst and rhodium promoter and a minor amount of reaction by-products, is cooled and passed to extraction vessel 5, wherein an aqueous liquid, generally water and optional miscibilizing solvent, are added via 6 for extraction and concentration of the HPA for the subsequent hydrogenation step. Liquid extraction can be effected by any suitable means, such as mixer-settlers, packed or trayed extraction columns, or rotating disk contactors. Extraction can, if desired, be carried out in multiple stages. The water-containing hydroformylation reaction product mixture can optionally be passed to a settling tank (not shown) for resolution of the mixture into aqueous and organic phases. The amount of water added to the hydroformylation reaction product mixture will generally be such as to provide a water:mixture ratio within the range of about 1:1 to about 1:20, preferably about 1:5 to about 1:15. The addition of water at this stage of the reaction may have the additional advantage of suppressing formation of undesirable heavy ends. Extraction with a relatively small amount of water provides an aqueous phase which is greater than 20 wt % HPA, preferably greater than 35 wt % HPA, permitting economical hydrogenation of the HPA to PDO and recovery of PDO product. The water extraction is preferably carried out at a temperature within the range of about 25° to about 55° C., with higher temperatures avoided to minimize condensation products (heavy ends) and catalyst conversion to inactive, water-soluble species. In order to maximize catalyst recovery, it is optional but preferred to perform the water extraction under 50 to 200 psig carbon monoxide at 25° to 55° C. Additional water extraction(s) may be desirable, particularly for higher molecular weight hydroxyaldehydes, to remove essentially all of the intermediate from the solvent phase.

The organic phase containing the reaction solvent and the major portion of the cobalt catalyst and rhodium promoter can be recycled from the extraction vessel to the hydroformylation reaction via 7. Aqueous extract 8 is optionally passed through one or more acid ion exchange resin beds 9 for removal of any cobalt catalyst present, and the demetallized aqueous product mixture 10 is passed to hydrogenation vessel 11 and reacted with hydrogen 12 in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst to produce a hydrogenation product mixture 13 containing 1,3-propanediol. The hydrogenation step may also revert some heavy ends to PDO. The solvent and extractant water 15 can be recovered by distillation in column 14 and recycled to the water extraction process via a further distillation (not shown) for separation and purge of light ends. PDO-containing product stream 16 can be passed to distillation column 17 for recovery of PDO 18 from heavy ends 19.

Hydrogenation of the HPA to PDO can be carried out in aqueous solution at an elevated temperature during at least a portion of the hydrogenation step of about 40° C., generally within the range of about 50° to about 175° C., under a hydrogen pressure of at least about 100 psig, generally within the range of about 200 to about 2000 psig. The reaction is carried out in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst such as any of those based upon Group VIII metals, including nickel, cobalt, ruthenium, platinum and palladium, as well as copper, zinc and chromium and mixtures and alloys thereof. Fixed-bed nickel catalysts are preferred.

Commercial operation will require efficient cobalt and rhodium recovery with essentially complete recycle of cobalt and rhodium to the hydroformylation reaction. The preferred catalyst recovery process involves two steps, beginning with the above-described water extraction of HPA from the hydroformylation product mixture. A portion of the cobalt may remain in the organic phase, with the remaining cobalt catalyst passing into the water phase. The organic phase can be recycled to the hydroformylation reactor, with optional purge of heavy ends. Optionally, further demetallizing of catalyst in the water layer can be effected by any suitable method, such as complete or partial oxidation of cobalt followed by precipitation and filtration, distillation, deposition on a solid support, or extraction using a suitable extractant, preferably prior to final removal by ion exchange (9).

The invention process permits the selective and economic synthesis of PDO at moderate temperatures and pressures without the use of a phosphine ligand for the hydroformylation catalyst. The process involves preparation of a reaction product mixture dilute in intermediate HPA, then concentration of this HPA by water extraction followed by hydrogenation of the aqueous HPA to PDO.

EXAMPLE 1

This experiment tests the ability of a rhodium carbonyl in promoting cobalt carbonyl catalysis of ethylene oxide hydroformylation at 80° C. and 1000 psig.

Into a 50-ml autoclave in a dry box and fitted for insitu IR analysis was added 27 ml of water-saturated (about 2%) methyl-t-butyl ether and 115 mg of dicobalt octacarbonyl. Tetrarhodium dodecacarbonyl promoter, if any, was added. The reactor was sealed, placed in an infrared optical bench, and connected to a source of ethylene oxide and syn gas. The reactor was placed under 1000 psig of 2:1 H₂ :CO and heated to 80° C. The catalyst system was allowed to reach equilibrium as measured by metal carbonyl absorbances in the region 2300-1500 cm⁻¹. Ethylene oxide was introduced into the reaction mixture using syn gas pressure, with the total pressure in the reactor raised to 1550 psig. Syn gas was added from a calibrated feedline as needed to maintain a gas pressure of 1550-1500 psig. In this way the consumption of synthesis gas was measured by pressure drop in the feedline, and ethylene oxide concentration was monitored by the corresponding peak at 870 cm⁻¹ in the IR. Formation of aldehyde could be monitored by an absorption at 1726 cm⁻¹.

As can be seen from Table 1, the rhodium carbonyl accelerates consumption of ethylene oxide and syn gas, but the rhodium promoter alone has no measurable activity under the reaction conditions.

                  TABLE 1                                                          ______________________________________                                                                   Syn Gas  EO                                          Run   Co        Rh:Co     Consumption                                                                             Consumption                                 ______________________________________                                         1     0.2 wt %  0         58 mmole/                                                                               32 mmole EO/                                                          mole Co hr                                                                              mole Co hr                                  2     0.2 wt %  0.09      59 mmole/                                                                               57 mmole EO/                                                          mole Co hr                                                                              mole Co hr                                  3     0.2 wt %  0.06      77 mmole/                                                                               50 mmole EO/                                                          mole Co hr                                                                              mole Co hr                                  4     0 wt %    Rh same    0 mmole/                                                                                0 mmole EO/                                                as for    mole Co hr                                                                              mole Co hr                                                  Run 2                                                          ______________________________________                                    

EXAMPLE 2

This example illustrates the hydroformylation of ethylene oxide using a rhodium-promoted cobalt catalyst. Tetrarhodium dodecacarbonyl and dicobalt octacarbonyl were used as the source of the metals. The amount of each catalyst component is listed as mmoles of metal atoms to allow a quantitative comparison on an atomic basis. Reaction times were 1 hour.

To a 100-ml Parr autoclave containing 34 ml of water-saturated (about 2 wt %) nitrogen-purged methyl-t-butyl ether were introduced tetrarhodium dodecacarbonyl and dicobalt octacarbonyl. The reactor was pressured with 700 psig of 2:1 H₂ /CO. The reaction solution was then heated with stirring, and 1.5 g (34 mmoles) of ethylene oxide was charged to the reaction vessel after the reaction temperature had been reached. The pressure was increased to about 1500 psig with additional H₂ /CO. Stirring was continued for 1 hour and the reaction mixture was cooled to 5° C. The gases were slowly vented to ambient pressure and 20 ml of nitrogen-purged deionized water were injected. The reaction mixture was stirred for 5 minutes and the phases were then allowed to separate. The water phase containing the reaction product was removed and analyzed by gas chromatography. Results are shown in Table 1.

In some instances, the reactor containing the remaining methyl-t-butyl ether and catalyst was repressured to 700 psig with H₂ /CO and heated to reaction temperature. After 30 minutes, 1.5 g of ethylene oxide was again injected and the pressure was increased to about 1500 psig with additional H₂ /CO. After stirring for 1 hour under reaction conditions, the reaction mixture was cooled, vented to ambient pressure, extracted with deionized water, and phase separated under an inert atmosphere. The aqueous and organic phases were analyzed for product content by gas chromatography. In several instances, the separated phases were also analyzed for rhodium and cobalt content. Experiments using this "recycled" catalyst are designated with an "R" in Table 1.

As can be seen from the results, rhodium has a promotional effect for the cobalt catalyst. A comparison of Run 1 with Run 2 shows that the rhodium, present only in Run 2, increased conversion of ethylene oxide from 51% to 100% at 80° C. A similar rate enhancement is seen at 70° C. (compare Run 4 with Run 7). The rhodium compound alone (Runs 5 and 6) did not catalyze ethylene oxide hydroformylation under these conditions; rhodium is thus acting as a promoter for cobalt catalysis.

A comparison of Run 16 (anhydrous MTBE) with Run 17 (water-saturated MTBE) shows that conversions of ethylene oxide are further improved in the presence of some water.

Analysis of the separate MTBE phases of Runs 3R and 9R show that cobalt and rhodium can be recovered and recycled.

EXAMPLE 3

This example illustrates the hydroformylation of propylene oxide catalyzed by a rhodium-promoted cobalt catalyst in accordance with the invention process.

A 100-ml Parr autoclave was charged with 115 mg (0.34 mmole) of dicobaltoctacarbonyl, 7 mg (0.009 mmole) of tetrarhodium dodecacarbonyl, 34 ml of water-saturated (about 2 wt %) nitrogen-purged methyl-t-butyl ether, and 1.98 g propylene oxide (34 mmole). The reaction mixture was heated with stirring at 70° C. and 1400 psig H₂ /CO (2:1) for 1 hour and then cooled to 5° C. The gases were slowly vented to ambient pressure, and 25 ml of nitrogen-purged, deionized water were injected into the reactor. After stirring for 5 minutes and allowing phase separation, the water phase was removed from the reactor and analyzed by gas chromatography. Selectivities to the organic products were 6.5% acetone, 71.9% 3-hydroxybutyraldehyde, 10.7% 2-methylpropionaldehyde and 10.9% oligomers. Propylene oxide conversion was 50%.

In order to examine recycle of the organic phase, 1.98 g (34 mmole) of fresh propylene oxide was injected into the reactor and the reaction solution was heated with stirring at 70° C. for 1 hour under 1400 psig H₂ /CO (2:1). The reaction mixture was cooled, vented and extracted with deionized water and phase separated under an inert atmosphere. The phases were analyzed for product content by gas chromatography, and each was also analyzed for rhodium and cobalt content. Selectivities to the organic products were 11.0% acetone, 64.5% 3-hydroxylbutyraldehyde, 9.9% 2-methylpropionaldehyde and 14.6% oligomers. Propylene oxide conversion was 54%. The methyl-t-butylether phase contained 99.1% of the rhodium and 78% of the cobalt.

                                      TABLE 1                                      __________________________________________________________________________     Hydroformylation of Ethylene Oxide (EO)                                                        EO                          % of Catalyst                      Catalyst.sup.(a)                                                                           Temp.                                                                              Conv.                                                                              Selectivity, (mole %)   Remaining in MTBE.sup.(b)          Run.sup.(c)                                                                        (mmole of metal)                                                                       (°C.)                                                                       (%) AA.sup.(b)                                                                        3-HPA.sup.(b)                                                                       1,3-PDO.sup.(b)                                                                      Unknown                                                                             Oligomers                                                                           After RXN                          __________________________________________________________________________     1   Co.sub.2 (Co).sub.8                                                                    80  51  10.7                                                                              78.7 --    --   10.6 --                                     0.67                                                                       2   Rh.sub.4 (CO).sub.12                                                                   80  100 26.8                                                                              73.2 --    --   --   --                                     0.037                                                                          Co.sub.2 (CO).sub.8                     --                                     0.67                                                                       .sup.    3R                                                                        Rh.sub.4 (CO).sub.12 R                                                                 80  100 31.1                                                                              63.2 --    --   5.7  Rh 99.4                                0.037                                   Co 63                                  Co.sub.2 (CO).sub.8                                                            0.67                                                                       4   Co.sub.2 (Co).sub.8                                                                    70  24   6.2                                                                              79.9 --    5.6  8.3  --                                     0.67                                                                       5   Rh.sub.4 (CO).sub.12                                                                   70   0  -- --   --    --   --   --                                     0.037                                                                      6   Rh.sub.4 (CO).sub.12                                                                   70   0  -- --   --    --   --   --                                     0.70                                                                       7   Rh.sub.4 (CO).sub.12                                                                   70  57  12.6                                                                              78.8 --    3.2  5.4  --                                     0.037                                                                          Co.sub.2 (CO).sub.12                                                           0.67                                                                       8   Rh.sub.4 (CO).sub.12                                                                   70  43  12.6                                                                              78.2 4.3   2.6  2.6  --                                     0.019                                                                          Co.sub.2 (CO).sub.12                                                           0.67                                                                       .sup.    9R                                                                        Rh.sub.4 (CO).sub.12                                                                   70  44  13.2                                                                              79.8 --    --   7.0  Rh 94.1                                0.019                                   Co 83.9                                Co.sub.2 (CO).sub.12                                                           0.67                                                                       10  Rh.sub.4 (CO).sub.12                                                                   70  43   7.9                                                                              81.7 --    --   10.4 --                                     0.0093                                                                         Co.sub.2 (CO).sub.12                                                           0.67                                                                       11  Rh.sub.4 (CO).sub.12                                                                   70  27  11.3                                                                              80.4 --    --   8.3  --                                     0.0047                                                                         Co.sub.2 (CO).sub.12                                                           0.67                                                                       12  Co.sub.2 (CO).sub.12                                                                   65  11  16.6                                                                              83.4 --    --   --   --                                     0.67                                                                       13  Rh.sub.4 (CO).sub.12                                                                   65  22   5.9                                                                              94.1 --    --   --   --                                     0.0093                                                                         Co.sub.2 (CO).sub.12                                                           0.67                                                                       14  Co.sub.2 (CO).sub.12                                                                   60   7   2.4                                                                              97.6 --    --   --   --                                     0.67                                                                       15  Rh.sub.4 (CO).sub.12                                                                   60   9   6.3                                                                              93.7 --    --   --   --                                     0.0093                                                                         Co.sub.2 (CO).sub.12                                                           0.67                                                                       16  Rh.sub.4 (CO).sub.12                                                                   70  32   9.5                                                                              90.5 --    --   --   --                                     0.0093                                                                         Co.sub.2 (CO).sub.8                                                            0.67                                                                       17  Rh.sub.4 (CO).sub.12                                                                   70  52   9.2                                                                              87.9 --    --   --   --                                     0.0093                                                                         Co.sub.2 (CO).sub.8                                                            0.67                                                                       __________________________________________________________________________      .sup.(a) Amounts of cobalt catalyst and rhodium promoter are given in          millimoles of the respective metal atoms (not millimoles of compound           introduced). CO.sub.2 (CO).sub.8 is dicobalt octacarbonyl and Rh.sub.4         (CO).sub.12 is tetrarhodium dodecacarbonyl.                                    .sup.(b) AA = acetaldehyde.                                                    3HPA = 3hydroxypropionaldehyde.                                                1,3PDO = 1,3propanediol.                                                       MTBE = methylt-butyl ether.                                                    .sup.(c) Watersaturated methylt-butyl ether was used for all but Run 16,       in which anhydrous methylt-butyl ether was used. "R" indicates that the        methylt-butyl ether solution containing the cobalt catalyst and rhodium        promoter from the run listed immediately above was used for the                experiment.                                                               

We claim:
 1. A process for preparing an alkanediol comprising the steps of:(a) contacting, at a temperature within the range of about 50° to about 100° C. and a pressure within the range of about 500 to about 5000 psig, an ethylene oxide with carbon monoxide and hydrogen in an essentially non-water miscible solvent in the presence of an effective amount of a non-phosphine-ligated cobalt catalyst and an effective amount of a rhodium promoter under reaction conditions effective to produce an intermediate product mixture comprising less than 15 wt % hydroxyaldehyde; (b) adding an aqueous liquid to said intermediate product mixture and extracting into said aqueous liquid a major portion of the hydroxyaldehyde at a temperature less than about 100° so as to provide an aqueous phase comprising the hydroxyaldehyde in greater concentration than the concentration of hydroxyaldehyde in the intermediate product mixture, and an organic phase comprising at least a portion of the cobalt catalyst or a cobalt-containing derivative thereof and at least a portion of the rhodium promoter or a rhodium-containing derivative thereof; (c) separating the aqueous phase from the organic phase; (d) contacting the aqueous phase comprising the hydroxyaldehyde with hydrogen in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst at a pressure of at least about 100 psig and a temperature during at least a portion of the hydrogenation step of at least about 40° C. to provide a hydrogenation product mixture comprising an alkanediol; and (e) recovering the alkanediol from the hydrogenation product mixture.
 2. The process of claim 1 in which the solvent of step (a) comprises an ether.
 3. The process of claim 1 in which the hydroxyaldehyde in the intermediate product mixture is produced at a level within the range of about 5 to about 10 wt %.
 4. The process of claim 3 in which step (a) is carried out at a temperature within the range of about 65° to about 80° C.
 5. The process of claim 4 in which step (a) is carried out at a pressure within the range of about 1000 to about 3500 psig.
 6. The process of claim 1 which further comprises carrying out step (b) under carbon monoxide.
 7. The process of claim 5 in which the solvent of step (a) has an Ostwald coefficient for carbon monoxide solubility greater than 0.15 v/v.
 8. The process of claim 5 in which the solvent of step (a) comprises methyl-t-butyl ether.
 9. The process of claim 1 in which water is present in step (a) in an amount within the range of about 1 to about 2.5 wt %.
 10. The process of claim 1 in which the alkanediol is 1,3-propanediol and the alkylene oxide is ethylene oxide.
 11. The process of claim 1 in which rhodium is present in step (a) in an amount within the range of about 0.001 to about 0.5 moles per mole of cobalt.
 12. The process of claim 1 in which the carbon monoxide and hydrogen of step (a) are present in an H₂ /CO ratio within the range of about 1.5:1 to about 5:1.
 13. The process of claim 1 in which rhodium is present in step (a) in an amount within the range of about 0.0008 to about 0.1 mole per mole of cobalt.
 14. A process for preparing 1,3-propanediol comprising the steps of:(a) reacting ethylene oxide, carbon monoxide and hydrogen in a solvent comprising methyl-t-butyl ether at a temperature within the range of about 50° to about 100° C. in the presence of a catalytic amount of a non-phosphine-ligated cobalt carbonyl and a promoting amount of a rhodium carbonyl, under hydroformylation conditions effective to produce an intermediate product mixture comprising less than 15 wt % 3-hydroxypropanal; (b) adding water, at a temperature less than about 100° C., to said intermediate product mixture in an amount within the range of about 5 to about 20 weight percent based on the weight of the intermediate product mixture, and permitting the water-containing intermediate product mixture to resolve into an aqueous phase comprising 3-hydroxypropanal in a concentration greater than about 20 wt %, and an organic phase comprising a major portion of the rhodium carbonyl and the cobalt carbonyl; (c) separating the aqueous phase from the organic phase; (d) contacting the aqueous phase comprising 3-hydroxypropanal with hydrogen in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst at a pressure of at least about 100 psig and a temperature of at least about 40° C. to provide a hydrogenation product mixture comprising 1,3-propanediol; and (e) recovering 1,3-propanediol from the hydrogenation product mixture.
 15. The process of claim 14 in which rhodium is present in step (a) in an amount within the range of about 0.001 to about 0.5 mole per mole of cobalt.
 16. The process of claim 14 in which the aqueous phase of step (b) comprises 3-hydroxypropanal in a concentration greater than about 35 wt %.
 17. The process of claim 14 in which rhodium is present in step (a) in an amount within the range of about 0.008 to about 0.1 mole per mole of cobalt. 